Amazon is selling an e-book entitled "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure," and shocked consumers across the nation now are calling for a boycott of the online retail giant.

The e-book, authored by Phillips Greaves, was published late last month, according to product details on Amazon.com. It sells for $4.79 on the company's Kindle Store.

"This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian [sic] rules for these adults to follow," a product description reads. "I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter sentences should they ever be caught."

The content has led to hundreds of tweets criticizing Amazon for allowing the title to be sold. A Facebook page has been created calling for a boycott of the Seattle-based company.

" This is totally unacceptable," one Facebook posting reads. "This is not about freedom of speech. This is a HOW TO GUIDE FOR PEDOPHILES! Shame on you Amazon.com."

Another posting reads: "They are screwing themselves over just in time for holiday shopping."

But Amazon is standing by the decision to sell the e-book.

"Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable," the company said in a written statement. "Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions."

Child online safety advocacy group Enough is Enough says it isn't surprised that someone would publish such a book, but believes that Amazon should remove it. It says selling the book lends the impression that child abuse is normal.

That doesn't mean Amazon should be prohibited from selling it, counters Christopher Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. He said that Amazon has the right under the First Amendment to sell any book that is not child pornography or legally obscene. Finan said Greaves' book doesn't amount to either because it does not include illustrations.

This isn't the first time Amazon has sold material that promotes illegal activity. It is currently accepting pre-orders for the hardcover version of "I Am the Market: How to Smuggle Cocaine by the Ton, in Five Easy Lessons" by Luca Rastello.

Nor is it the first time Amazon has come under attack for selling objectionable content in its store. In 2002, the United States Justice Foundation, a conservative group, threatened to sue Amazon for selling "Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers." That title is still available through Amazon.

In 2009, Amazon stopped selling "RapeLay," a first-person video game in which the protagonist stalks and then rapes a mother and her daughters, after it was widely condemned in the media and by various interest groups.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/10/consumers-boycott-amazon-pedophile-guide/?test=latestnews

Well, I am never ordering from Amazon ever again. They should be fined a large amount of money and the book publisher and writer should be put in prison.

maybe I am wrong about this....

But isn't this telling people how to commit a crime? That wouldn't be protected under freedom of speech IMO

Maybe the church will buy all the copies so they can have a good ol fashioned book burnin' party, or perhaps give em out at the door!

To me the issue isn't pedophilia, its 'should we allow huge retail corporations to sell products that promote something wrong/evil/disgusting/offensive'. It could be pedophilia, it could be murder, rape, genocide, racial supremacy, etc.

Amazon can choose to sell or not sell. You can choose to boycott or not boycott. Maybe if amazon chooses not to sell, it will make texts like this 'less available', which might be a good thing - but it also makes me uncomfortable to think of such huge corporations engaging in corporate censorship. As much power as they wield, its not to far from the effect of government censorship.

Of course, making an issue out of something like this always promotes the very things we'd like to see fade into obscurity.

I'd rather live in a world where anyone is allowed to write, sell, and buy any book - and works like this fake into oblivion for lack of interest.

I am pretty sure it is legal. Just like a how to guide on bittorrent is still legal. He isn't advocating a crime just explaining a way to go about it.

I am not saying I support the book but I will defend the persons right to write it and amazons right to sell it. The ultimate decision to do or not do something resides in the individual.

Hmmmm. I have mixed feeling about this. I have some books that were illegal at various times and probably should be now, but they are military training manuals. A "how to" hurt children book is a whole different ball game.

Where is the Batman when you need him? He could fix this.

Ban Amazon. The only reason they keep selling the book is because they have lots of customers for it.

Not really. Amazon isn't selling the book. They are just how the book is being sold. Just like eBay it's mostly just a sight for selling things. That's why there is feedback on amazon. Lots of different sellers.

Update! Amazon just backed down after outrage.

Begin Quote:

An e-book for sale on Amazon.com entitled "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure," was no longer available from the retailer late Wednesday after shocked consumers across the nation called for a boycott.

The title, authored by Phillip Greaves, of Pueblo, Colo., was published late last month, according to product details previously available on Amazon.com. It sold for $4.79 on the company's Kindle Store.

Telling them how to commit it and not get caught.

I agree. The Anarchist Cookbook big deal, but how to abuse a child, it should be a capitol offense to just own the book.

I think you can publish a book about almost anything legally. "How to build an Atomic Bomb" for example. Most books like this have a disclaimer that says "For informational purposes only".

Actually no. That's why a lot of the questionable books are written under a pen name thats never disclosed and sold out of the back of magazines.

Here is an example I just looked up.

Begin Quote:

Bazooka
How To Build Your Own
by Anthony Lewis

If you get a bang out of the flash and thud of an explosion and are intrigued by soft munitions, propellants and weapons, why not build your own bazooka? Anthony Lewis takes you through the process, from constructing the cartridge, barrel, grip and sights to mixing the propellant and igniter to assembling, loading and test-firing. For information purposes only.

I'm sure that's illegal.

LOL Well all you need is $10 on a credit card and it's yours!

Censorship.

How far do we go with it?

I agree that the idea of pedophilia being taught is horribly disgusting and stomach turning but if we censor them then we have to censor the gun sellers too or the anti Muslims. How far do we go with censorship?

From where?

Freedom of speech and press is only good until it tramples on the rights of others. A manuel on how to hhurt a child and get away with it or how to make a bazooka or bomb for a terrorist act? That tramples on the rights of others.

Palidin Press

http://www.paladin-press.com/category/Exotic_Weapons

But writing it doesn't trample anyone's rights. It is just the information which could be used by.... say a psychiatrist to help diagnose and cure pedophilia, who knows.